‘City of Victor Harbor CEO Graeme Maxwell warned that BP’s drilling plans represented a high risk to both the values and economy of the coastal community.’ Great Australian Bight Marine Park. Photograph: Sarah Hanson-Young

Locals on the coast of South Australia, where BP hopes to begin exploratory drilling, are nervous about the risks posed to the ocean and the threat to their livelihood

Hydraulic connector flange/fasteners showing failures and first engaged threads. Since 2003 enormous bolts that secure offshore oil equipment to the seafloor, including potentially in the Great Australian Bight, have been snapping in half. Photograph: Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement/United States Department of the Interior

MPs and activists want BP’s exploration licences to be suspended over ‘very critical safety issue’ identified by US regulators